If you mix together red and green you get a dirty brown colour and that is what we have in Auckland, a Labour (red)/Green Council led by a dirty Mayor Brown. Following the General Election result the country has shown a clear preference to continue a path of financial prudence and trying to live within its means. Perhaps having the example of a Brown led Council before them gave voters their first chance to give a big thumbs down to the profligacy and lack of financial prudence that has become the signature of Auckland Council.

Nothing better illustrates how out of step Auckland has become under this Brown Council than the recent announcements of a massive wages blowout. Firstly we are told of ever increasing rates rises whilst facing ever decreasing services in order to pay for the Mayor’s train set. Now we are told in this week's Sunday Herald that, far from belt tightening like the rest of us, Council has gone on a spending spree to pay huge wages to its own inflated staff, so much so that it has failed to keep within its own budget.

Auckland Council wages blowout Under-fire Auckland Council has blown its wages and salaries budget by $50 million, figures show. Information obtained by the Herald on Sunday showed the council spent $730m paying staff in the year to June 30. The organisation has been heavily criticised since mayor Len Brown last month announced extreme measures to cut $2.7 billion off the city's $13.1b debt over the next 10 years. The latest budget-busting figure will not help. According to the council's annual report the cost of paying staff ballooned $50m over the $680m budget. That figure comes after it was revealed this week the number of people employed by the council increased by 518 this year to 11,134, while those earning six-figure salaries jumped almost 20 per cent to 1780. Right-wing councillor Cameron Brewer provided the latest figures to the Herald on Sunday. The blowout was unacceptable when local boards will be forced to make significant cuts to community projects and oversee service cuts, he said. "It's totally unbelievable given the huge salaries budget management had to work with from the outset." The blowout was even more dramatic when compared with the $654m cost forecast in the 2012 long-term 2013-14 budget, Brewer said. "So against the 10-year budget signed off just two years ago, it's more like a $76m blowout to what was anticipated." Reasons given to councillors for the overspending included an "increased headcount" and meeting "the needs for increased projects which weren't budgeted". The public deserved assurances this year's $719m budget would hold, he said. Brewer sought an amendment in July to investigate limits of staff numbers after changes to the Local Government Act gave councils the power to do so, but the amendment was "thrown out by the mayor", he said. But TV broadcaster and council critic Paul Henry said the mayor was making "the most liveable city a city that no bastard can afford to live in". "There'll be no problems on the roads and his bloody rapid rail will be going as fast as anything because there'll be no one standing at the bloody station," he said.

The Key government has been sending warning signals to Auckland Council for some time that it must live within its means. Given the strong mandate from the country that the government now has, it is doubtful whether Brown’s train set, based anyway on a dubious cost/benefit analysis, will get the go-ahead from the government in 2016 as the Mayor hopes let alone in 2021.

Far from Auckland becoming the powerhouse of the economy that was promised under amalgamation, costs have blown out, rates have gone through the roof and there is little tangible to show for four years of red/green governance. Time for a change in 2016, the writing is on the wall.

There will be no change until the population of Auckland take decisive action. Perhaps thry need to gridlock the entire inner city for a few hours, a massive march. Whatever it takes it must be big. When you have people entrenched on big wages , to contend with it's not enough to just be upset about it.

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Peter

22/9/2014 11:17:30 am

A rates revolt and a point blank refusal to pay the fees and charges and fines these stupid clowns dish out. I for one have told them they are NOT getting any $$ for dog registration anymore. $69 for a piece of plastic every year is outrageous! As for the "council contractors" impounding Charlie for pissing on a lampost outside the front gate, throwing the poor bugger in the Wiri dog jail and NOT feeding him....He was howling like a banshee when I went to pick him up. Cost $71 or 1/3rd of my current income. Dog not happy, owner even less so. That wanker Lenin Brownshirt wouldn't be happy to pay 1/3rd of his overinflated weekly stipend for retreiving his pooch would he?